Category Archives: Soup

even though i was never a big pacman – or pacwoman - fan. i do best with video games where frantically press buttons at random. totes gave my little bro, future doctor of america, a run for his money at mortal combat. totes barely got past the third level of super mario bros.

such is life. he can still beat me at pretty much anything that doesn't involve spelling.

anyway. winter is arriving. it's still early – my cut off for an outdoor run is still 40, not 30.

but between the chilly gray weather and the abundance of holiday parties, i've been craving vegetables. hearty, virtuous vegetables.

so, one night after yoga i made my annual pot-o-soup. you know how i feel about soup. but about once a year, after winter has hit, i like a nice hearty bowl of soup.

i made this soup with what i had on hand. started with some sausage.

yes, i know i said i was craving veggies. but, let's be honest. the best veggie recipes usually start with some sort of bacon/pancetta/sausage product.

cause . . . all those little brown bits in the pan? flavor, baby. saute some onions in that . . . so much better than olive oil.

then loaded it up. can of beans, can of tomatoes, abandoned baby carrots.

let it simmer. throw in a parmesan rind if you've got one. some bay leaves. peppercorns.

and at the end . . . greens. i had a sad little handful of kale, but some frozen spinach rounded it out. the kale had a much better bite in the finished product.

this was a really hearty soup. spicy sausage played up the richness of the beans, the sweet carrots and acidic tomatoes added a nice balance. a little red wine in the beef broth rounded out the flavor.

in short, YUM. lunch and dinner for a week and a half. happy winter!

Winter White Bean & Sausage Soup

4 sausages, I recommend Aidells – one of the spicy flavors

1/2 onion, sliced

1 can white beans, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

1-2 cups baby carrots, roughly chopped

2-3 cups kale or spinach, roughly chopped (use less if you're using frozen)

1 carton beef or chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine

1 parmesan rind

1 bay leaf

1 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp thyme

Salt to taste

Saute sausage in large pot until brown. Add onions and soften. Add everything else, EXCEPT THE GREENS, and simmer at least 20 minutes and until the veggies are tender. Add the kale and/or spinach and cook for another few minutes. Very good with more parmesan grated on top and with a crusty baguette.

sorry. couldn’t resist. but good night, it is cold here today. completely unacceptable.

this chili would be the opposite of that. healthy AND tasty. and if you have a half-eaten can of chipotle from last week’s chicken, you’re in luck.

little known fact – not only was i born in texas, i spent my fair share of time at chili-cook-offs. i’m pretty sure i was wearing gingham, cause my mom knows what’s what.

but really, chili is my dad’s thing. this is one of two culinary gifts from my father, the mad scientist. the first is peanut butter on waffles with pancake syrup. i have yet to be able to convince anyone of the amazingness of that combination, so maybe you have to grow up with it?

anyway. that man is serious about his chili. he got his recipe down to a very precise combination of spices. when i asked him for it a while back, he asserted that the ratios require that you create a very large quantity of chili spice, making it useless for the home cook. pre-katrina, his local nola restaurant used his crazy spice mix, and i think he used to give baggies of it away to the worthy few.

not screwing around here folks, not screwing around.

anyway, we’re moving ahead without you here, dad, with what i’m sure would be a pretty solid contender for the blue ribbon.

and hey, look! i grew those peppers! last gasp of summer, there you go.

this chili is seriously good. it is nicely spicy and smoky from the chipotle and paprika, has a brightness from the green chile and tomatoes. the ground turkey gives it heft without heaviness. and the white beans, especially on day two, are just pillowy soft. i caught the somm fishing them out of the leftovers, the sneak!

and . . . because i can’t leave well enough alone, i also made cornbread. the sweetness balances the chili’s spice, and the smoky bacon brings it all together.

the zucchini? well, i was just intrigued to see if it would turn out as a proper cornbread or more like a quick bread. happily, this is a true cornbread, maybe just a tad moister, with lots of green goodness tucked inside.

this is a hearty bread, between the whole wheat flour, bacon and zucchini.

it also has buttermilk – and i cheated and added a bit of lemon juice to milk for a DIY solution – and browned butter. yum.

i baked it in a cast-iron skillet coated with the bacon (ok it was pancetta, but how girly girly does zucchini pancetta cornbread sound!!) drippings so it was infused with bacon flavor.

2 canned whole chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped or pureed with a little water

2 18-ounce cans tomatoes, whole or diced (you may not use them all)

1 large onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon smoky Spanish paprika

2 pounds ground turkey

1 cup chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 bell pepper, chopped

two 4-ounce cans mild green chilies, drained and chopped

2 teaspoons cornmeal

1 can white beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

sour cream

Shredded cheese

Warm oil in a large pot. Add onions and garlic and saute for a few minutes until softened and fragrant. Add cumin and paprika and cook for another minute or so. Add the turkey and cook until no longer pink.

Add the chipotles, broth, seasonings, and tomatoes. Let simmer for about an hour. Add more broth if it gets too thick. Then add your bell pepper and green chiles and cornmeal and simmer for half an hour. Then add your beans. Continue to add more broth or tomatoes to keep the consistency as you like it.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan until it gets a nutty brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and let cool before adding eggs and buttermilk.

While butter is cooling, you can:

Crisp your bacon in an oven-safe skillet (cast iron will work really well, but you can use any type, or just use a baking pan greased with your bacon drippings). Remove and roughly chop bacon. Swirl drippings around to coat pan, discard excess.

Cut a few thin slices from your zucchini and reserve; shred the rest with a grater or cuisinart. Add to bowl with butter mixture and stir until well blended.

Mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cornmeal into a large bowl.

Add zucchini mixture; fold just to blend (mixture will be very thick).

perhaps you are asking yourself, why on god's green earth would anyone be making soup – and we are talking hot soup here, not chilled refreshing gazpacho – not only in the middle of summer, but in the middle of the worst heat wave this country has seen in a long, long time?

well, i didn't leave the house yesterday. the somm and i cranked up the ac, lowered the blinds, settled our tushes into the couch and took shelter.

i didn't even go to the gym. its getting serious.

but back to the soup. a friend sent me the recipe. i thanked her. i was close to moving on. i'm not a soup person. my mom – she is all about the soup. soup just doesn't always get it done for me.

then my friend sent a one sentence email: the zucchini soup will change your life.

talk about getting serious. i'm in!

we're going to start with some onions.

diced onion is going to get up close and personal with more butter and olive oil than i usually use (sorry honey!) and some thyme and bay. i took a picture, frankly it didn't look as appetizing as it smelled. butter. mmm.

add your chunked zucchini and chicken stock. i used some homemade stock from the freezer. the sommelier came that much closer to finding the ice cream sandwiches.

once it's all cooked up together, you blend it up. you know, in your blender. or use one of those fancy immersion blender wands. i don't have one, although some kind person did buy me one for my wedding. i had registered for it and everything. i thought it might inspire me to make soup. i had visions of sharing soup recipes with my mother. then it arrived and i looked at it and realized that, really, i'm not a soup person. i returned it and put the money towards filling out my pots and pans set. my sincere apologies. but seriously, i'm using the hell out of those pots and pans.

soup therapy session over! time for the croutons! you're going to need lots of basil.

i keep mine in a vase. with my flowers.

god, i love the woman who sells the flowers at my farmers market. she puts basil IN THE ARRANGEMENTS sometimes. purple basil – do you see it back there? love. it. so does manchego. check him out surveying his domain.

moments after this photo was taken, he started gnawing on the flower arrangements.

anyway. i saved the basil from the gatito. and let me pass along this advice: do not skip the croutons. they are buttery, basily cubes of goodness.

1 medium onion, minced (I may have subbed extra onion for the missing celery. But I can never tell what a "medium" onion is supposed to be.)

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp chopped thyme leaves

1 1/2 lb zucchini (F&W said to use little guys, I used two big dudes. Eh.)

3 cups chicken stock

Salt & Pepper

More basil

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil. Add the celery, onion, bay leaf and thyme and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 20 minutes. Increase the heat to moderate. Stir in the zucchini and stock, season with salt and pepper and simmer the soup until the zucchini is soft, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

CROUTONS

2 tbs butter

1/3 cup basil leaves, finely chopped

2 cups-ish country bread, cut into 1/2 ince dice

Salt & Pepper

In a large skillet, melt the butter over moderately high heat. Stir in the chopped basil, then add the bread cubes and toss to coat with the butter. Season the bread cubes with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, or until the bread cubes are lightly toasted and crispy. Transfer to a plate.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. This is important – soup expand when it gets hot and blended. Leave a little air hole at the top of your blender. Enough for steam, not enough to splatter soup everywhere. You'll be sad.

Return the soup to the saucepan and reheat gently. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the croutons and basil leaves and serve.